Knockers Vs Newenden

Win :: Played on Sunday 13th August 2023

Newenden
218-10

Knockers
220-8

Match Report

Knockers gained victory by two wickets in the penultimate over at a welcoming Newenden ground. Having got the home side all out from the last of their 35 overs, Will Brettle’s classy 95 was the backbone of our chase, finding helpful partnerships with Browning, Landers and Marsh and the game ending with Kuts slog-sweeping to cow. Wickets were spread out with Browning, Dale and Kutner leading the way along with two sharp run outs by Ziggy.

Captain Marsh lost the toss and Knockers had a rare start in the field. He opened with Kuts at the other end as Newenden raced to 51 off the first eight overs. Kutner’s two wickets helped keep things in check, the first seamed nicely to bowl Morris with his fifth ball and he scrambled round to take Edwards caught and bowled, turning down the opportunity to take a third in the same manner later on.

First change brought Luke and Ben on, the latter borrowed from the home side. Stevo dealt in dots and boundaries, creating chances but none to hand while Browning, challenging Kuts for best hair in Newenden (same barbers apparently), struck in his second over, bowling a well set Bradney for 49 in a very handy spell.

Dale and Ziggy took over. Joe went for eight off two and found the perfect line and length on his third ball to bowl Stuart who’d accumulated a solid 58. Ziggy dived to stop the ball at mid-wicket during a Dale over and got a smart direct hit to run out Farmer. Joe completed his spell with a wicket-maiden as Browning continued to contribute to his own team’s downfall with a cool grab of J. Addis.

Prof then came and teased with mixed flight until a beautiful slow one on the stumps beat a rushing Chatterden. Mitch’s nonchalant walk away was compared to his lecturing exits: ’and now you’ve had an education people.’.

Boreham, having handed the gloves over to Jai at drinks, had spent every over since rolling his arms, glancing longingly at the skipper only to look like a lover scorned when the nod didn’t come. He was given the ball in the 34th and what an eventful over it was. The first ball got spanked for four, then a dot, then a slog to cow which was put down over the rope, next ball was edged to the gloves but not taken, a chuntering dot followed, and then local rules kicked in. The only way to get a six at Newenden was to deposit the ball into the River Rother and D. Addis, grateful for his two lives, rubbed the salt in.

Scott was given the last over. He picked up a wicket first ball, hitting Smith’s leg stump, had to wait an eternity for Jai to decide to stump Angier and last ball Ziggy picked up well and threw down the stumps from 15 yards to wrap things up with Newenden all out for 218.

It would be surprising if Knockers have ever been on the end of a better tea. A good 25 home-made dishes that included beef wellington, prawn cocktails, onion bhajis, bruschetta, bucks fizz, jam scones and multiple cakes. The prize-winning provider was much lauded and rightly so.

Will and Oli opened up with the latter promising 33 runs to maintain his season’s average. He got one of them before getting bowled by Chatterden with Knockers on 15. Browning then began a fifty partnership with Brettle. The pair made hay as Knockers kept up a healthy run-rate, Will picking off bad balls and Ben racing away with multiple boundaries until he picked out mid-off from J Addis’ bowling.

A second fifty partnership followed with Brettle taking the lead in tandem with Scott. The two brought the chase under a hundred in the 24th over when Landers got a leading edge that looped back to Bradney. Marshy then began a series of filthy ramps and healthy slogs, upping the run rate dramatically. Three ramps connected well but local rules kept him to fours when they cleared the roadside boundary. He did his best to run out Will on 95 who didn’t quite take the time to compose himself, falling short of a jug by getting bowled by Edwards but having set Knockers up for victory with a fine innings, three consecutive fours to take him into the nineties a particular highlight. With Jai in alongside a busy Ollie and the visitors on 171-4 with seven overs to go, all seemed rosy in this particular Kentish garden.

Jai was run out, written as by ’O. Marsh’ in the scorebook, Marshy, passing 1000 runs for the club, was caught off Smith, having begun a partnership with Joe who was hitting the legside boundary with aplomb before he too was caught off Edwards. Luke smashed two fours before his bails were sent flying.

With six needed but wickets falling rapidly, mainly thanks to Edwards finding a second wind, were Knockers going repay a king’s tea by grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory? Ziggy saw off a yorker first ball, setting up Kuts for his much favoured shot to cow for victory, which was just, his having picked up the bar tab. We took a second chance at the remaining tea down a decent local boozer, with the sun drifting over the horizon. A fine day indeed.

 

Batting

Batsman	How Out	4s	6s	Runs
Will Brettle	bowled	18	1	95
Oli Boreham	bowled	0	0	1
Ben Browning	caught	6	0	31
Scott Landers	caught	3	0	20
Ollie Marsh	caught	4	0	18
Jai Shah	run out	1	0	5
Joe Dale	caught	4	0	17
Luke Stevens	bowled	2	0	8
Christian Kutner	not out	1	0	5
David Bowen	not out	0	0	2
John Mitchell	dnb	0	0	0

 

Bowling

Bowler	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
Ollie Marsh	4.0	0	20	0
Christian Kutner	7.0	0	49	2
Luke Stevens	7.0	0	42	0
Ben Browning	5.0	0	21	1
Joe Dale	4.0	1	20	2
David Bowen	4.0	0	24	0
John Mitchell	2.0	0	15	1
Oli Boreham	1.0	0	15	0
Scott Landers	1.0	0	4	2

 

Match Photos